Psychology Commons^™

Effects Of Mindfulness Meditation On Selective, Sustained Attention, Brain Neural Oscillations, And Short-Term Memory, Anamaria Guzman

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The following extended literature review and research proposal study started initially as a complete research proposal but, due to the challenges COVID-19 has brought, it has become a stand-alone piece of work without data collection. The goal is to synthesize a broad range of literature and previous research on mindfulness meditation and its effects on attention, memory, and brain activity and thus, offering a new perspective and a proposed research path on this subject. This proposed research study, besides previous studies, indicates that mindfulness meditation is expected to improve and enhance selective and sustained attention, which results in better attentional …

Union Commitment And Participation, Tara Myers, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are union commitment and participation?

Union commitment refers to the extent to which employees are dedicated to their union (Cooper-Hakim & Viswesvaran, 2005; Gordon, Philpot, Burt, Thompson, & Spiller, 1980). Union participation is active involvement in the union such as attending meetings, serving on committees, holding office, campaigning, voting, assisting with contracts and negotiations, managing union funds, and filing grievances (Anderson, 1979). Many researchers consider union participation as part of union commitment (e.g., Gordon et al., 1980). Others have speculated that union participation is a consequence of union commitment (e.g., Parks, Gallagher, & Fullagar, 1995). Additional ways to conceptualize …

Emotional Intelligence Training, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What is emotional intelligence training?

Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to abilities or tendencies related to recognizing, understanding, and managing emotions. Because of its connections to important work outcomes such as job satisfaction, organizational commitment, job performance, and turnover intentions (e.g., Joseph, Jin, Newman, & O’Boyle, 2015; Miao, Humphrey, & Qian, 2016), there has been great interest in developing EI via coaching and training, even though it has not traditionally been regarded as something that is amenable to change through training. EI is conceptualized, and measured, in three different ways (Ashkanasy & Daus, 2005). When it was first conceived, EI was …

Emotional Labor, Tara Myers, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What is emotional labor?

Emotional labor is “the management of feelings to create a publicly observable facial and bodily display” as necessary at work (Hochschild, 2012, p. 50). Thus, people engage in emotional labor when they ensure their facial expressions and body language match what is expected for the job (Grandey, 2000). Clear display rules (e.g., always smile, show empathy, stay neutral, seem stern) are most typically seen within service industries (e.g., customer service, protective services, law enforcement). People accomplish this adherence to display rules through surface acting—managing the expression of emotions—or through deep acting—managing the experience of emotions (Hochschild, …

Workaholism, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What is workaholism?

The term was coined 50 years ago and referred to the uncontrollable need to work incessantly (Oates, 1971). Since then, many different definitions have emerged, with variations related to what exactly workaholism looks like (e.g., degree of enjoyment and engagement), why it occurs (e.g., personality), and its outcomes (e.g., on health, work-life balance), among others (Clark, Smith, & Haynes, 2020). Because many of these approaches confuse workaholism with related but distinct concepts (e.g., causes and effects), the following definition has recently been suggested as a more pure description: 1) an inner pressure or compulsion to work, 2) …

Specialists In Name Or Practice? The Inclusion Of Transgender And Gender Diverse Identities In Online Materials Of Gender Specialists, Natalie Holt, Robyn E. King, Richard Mocarski, Nathan Woodruff, Debra A. Hope

Trans Collaborations Academic Papers

Recommendations for health care providers working with transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals emphasize affirming clients’ identities, such as using correct pronouns and name, however it is unknown how often gender specialists adhere to such recommendations. Websites and intake forms of gender specialists were coded for use of affirming language, asking for pronouns and chosen name, and mention of TGD specialties and resources. Most websites identified the provider’s specialty to work with TGD individuals, though much fewer provided additional resources concerning TGD issues and only half of intake forms included affirming language. Given previous research that has demonstrated providers working …

Psychometric Evaluation Of The Transgender Congruence Scale, T. Zachary Huit, Allura L. Ralston, J, Kyle Haws, Natalie Holt, Debra A. Hope, Jae Puckett, Richard Mocarski, Nathan Woodruff

Trans Collaborations Academic Papers

Introduction Despite increased attention to transgender and gender diverse (TGD) issues in psychological literature during the past decade, gaps remain for psychometric validation of TGD-specific measures. Kozee et al. (Psychology of Women Quarterly 36(2):179–196, 2012) addressed such gaps by creating the Transgender Congruence Scale (TCS), measuring gender acceptance and feelings of gender congruence between internal and external attributes across a broad range of gender identities. The current study extended Kozee and colleagues’ work by further examining the psychometric properties of the TCS.

Methods Between October and November of 2017, 210 transmasculine, transfeminine, and gender diverse adults between ages 19 …

Providing Sexuality Training For Psychologists: The Role Of Predoctoral Internship Sites, Dena M. Abbott, Debra Mollen, Elyxcus J. Anaya, Theodore R. Burnes, Madeline M. Jones, Victoria A. Rukus

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Sexuality education positively impacts health service psychologists’ ability to address sexuality, a vital component of overall health and well-being. There is little information about the integration of sexuality into the applied, fieldwork components of psychologists’ training. We surveyed 139 representatives of APA-accredited doctoral internship programs to assess sexuality content during internship training. Participants completed a survey assessing content integration of 12 domains specific to human sexuality. The most endorsed training related to sexual orientation and gender identity, sexual behavior, sexual ethics, and sex therapy were infrequent in the internship training curriculum. Implications for research, practice, training, supervision, and advocacy are …

The Use Of Family Engagement Principles By Childcare Providers From Various Childcare Settings: A Qualitative Study, John P. Rech, Kailey Snyder, Maggie Rasmussen, Dipti Dev, Danae Dinkel

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Family engagement in childcare is important to ensure the optimal growth, development, and safety of children. Previous research has explored family engagement practices, but limited research is available on the application of theory to explain the uptake of family engagement principles. The purpose of this study was to explore the use and perceptions of the National Association of the Education for Young Children’s six principles of effective family engagement among childcare providers from various childcare settings following the Innovation-Decision Process of the Diffusion of Innovation Theory. A semi-structured interview with a card-sorting task was used to explore providers’ knowledge, adoption, …

Addressing Work-Related Traumatic Stress Nebraska - Resiliency Reminders Guidebook, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

This guide is intended for child welfare professionals implementing a workforce effort to address secondary traumatic stress (STS). It was developed as part of CFS Strong, a joint effort of the Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD) and the Nebraska Department of Human Services’ Department of Children and Family Services (CFS), to address the cumulative effects of STS that is part of the day-to-day work of the child welfare workforce. CFS Strong included: (1) an adaptation of Resilience Alliance (RA) to teach skills and strategies to manage STS and build team cohesion, (2) Restoring Resiliency Response (RRR) to allow …

The Truth About Snitches: An Archival Analysis Of Informant Testimony, Jeffrey S. Neuschatz, Danielle K. Deloach, Megan A. Hillgartner, Melanie Fessinger, Stacy A. Wetmore, Amy B. Douglass, Brian H. Bornstein, Alexis M. Le Grand

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Informants are witnesses who often testify in exchange for an incentive (i.e. jailhouse informant, cooperating witness). Despite the widespread use of informants, little is known about the circumstances surrounding their use at trial. This study content-analyzed trials from 22 DNA exoneration cases involving 53 informants. Because these defendants were exonerated, the prosecution informant testimony is demonstrably false. Informant characteristics including motivation for testifying, criminal history, relationship with the defendant and testimony were coded. Most informants were prosecution jailhouse informants; however, there were also defence jailhouse informants and prosecution cooperating witnesses. Regardless of informant type, most denied receiving an incentive, had …

Convolutional Neural Networks Can Decode Eye Movement Data: A Black Box Approach To Predicting Task From Eye Movements, Zachary J. Cole, Karl M. Kuntzelman, Michael D. Dodd, Matthew R. Johnson

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Previous attempts to classify task from eye movement data have relied on model architectures designed to emulate theoretically defined cognitive processes and/or data that have been processed into aggregate (e.g., fixations, saccades) or statistical (e.g., fixation density) features. Black box convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are capable of identifying relevant features in raw and minimally processed data and images, but difficulty interpreting these model architectures has contributed to challenges in generalizing lab-trained CNNs to applied contexts. In the current study, a CNN classifier was used to classify task from two eye movement datasets (Exploratory and Confirmatory) in which participants searched, memorized, …

Validation Of The Short Version Of The Dimensional Inventory For Child Development Assessment, Euclides José De Mendonc¸A Filho, Mônia Aparecida Da Silva, Natalie A. Koziol, Denise Ruschel Bandeira

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Objectives: There is a critical need to monitor the development of children around the world, and in Brazil, this need is substantial since there is a paucity of assessment tools. This study aimed to describe the design and provide evidence of reliability and validity for the short version of the Dimensional Inventory for Child Development Assessment (IDADI-short). Methods: A sample of 1,865 biological mothers of children aged 4---72 months (M = 34.8, SD = 20.20) completed the IDADI to assess Cognitive, socio-emotional, Expressive, and Receptive Language and Communication, Fine and Gross Motor, and Adaptive Behavior development. The psychometric …

Targeted Physical Therapy Combined With Spasticity Management Changes Motor Development Trajectory For A 2- Year-Old With Cerebral Palsy, Corri L. Stuyvenberg, Shaaron E. Brown, Ketaki Inamdar, Megan Evans, Lin-Ya Hsu, Olivier Rolin, Regina T. Harbourne, Sarah Westcott Mccoy, Michele A. Lobo, Natalie A. Koziol, Stacey C. Dusing

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Therapies for children with cerebral palsy (CP) often fail to address essential components of early rehabilitation: intensity, child initiation, and an embodied approach. Sitting Together And Reaching To Play (START-Play) addresses these issues while incorporating intensive family involvement to maximize therapeutic dosage. While START-Play was developed and tested on children aged 7–16 months with motor delays, the theoretical construct can be applied to intervention in children of broader ages and skills levels. This study quantifies the impact of a broader STARTPlay intervention combined with Botulinum toxin-A (BoNT-A) and phenol on the developmental trajectory of a 24 month-old child with bilateral …

Validation Of The Short Version Of The Dimensional Inventory For Child Development Assessment, Euclides José De Mendonça Filho, Mônia Aparecida Da Silva, Natalie A. Koziol, Denise Ruschel Bandeira

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Objectives: There is a critical need to monitor the development of children around the world, and in Brazil, this need is substantial since there is a paucity of assessment tools. This study aimed to describe the design and provide evidence of reliability and validity for the short version of the Dimensional Inventory for Child Development Assessment (IDADI-short).

Methods: A sample of 1,865 biological mothers of children aged 4---72 months (M = 34.8, SD = 20.20) completed the IDADI to assess Cognitive, socio-emotional, Expressive, and Receptive Language and Communication, Fine and Gross Motor, and Adaptive Behavior development. The psychometric properties of …

Developing A Fidelity Measure Of Early Intervention Programs For Children With Neuromotor Disorders, Mihee An, Jayden Nord, Natalie A. Koziol, Stacey C. Dusing, Audrey E. Kane, Michele A. Lobo, Sarah W. Mccoy, Regina T. Harbourne

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Aim: To describe the development of an intervention-specific fidelity measure and its utilization and to determine whether the newly developed Sitting Together and Reaching to Play (START-Play) intervention was implemented as intended. Also, to quantify differences between START-Play and usual early intervention (uEI) services. Method: A fidelity measure for the START-Play intervention was developed for children with neuromotor disorders by: (1) identifying key intervention components, (2) establishing a measurement coding system, and (3) testing the reliability of instrument scores. After establishing acceptable interrater reliability, 103 intervention videos from the START-Play randomized controlled trial were coded and compared between the START-Play …

A Program To Improve Social Reactions To Sexual And Partner Violence Disclosures Reduces Posttraumatic Stress In Subsequently Victimized Participants, Katie M. Edwards

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Objective: Research consistently documents the high rates and deleterious outcomes of dating and sexual violence (DSV) among college students. Thus, there is an urgency to identify cost-effective interventions that can mitigate the negative outcomes associated with these forms of violence. The purpose of the current study was to conduct secondary analyses to assess whether a two-session, face-to-face social support intervention (i.e., Supporting Survivors and Self) would confer psychological benefits for participants who subsequently experienced DSV victimization.

Method: Participants were 187 full-time undergraduate students from a university in the northeastern United States who reported at least one form of …

Examining Differences In Achievement Of Physical Activity Best Practices Between Urban And Rural Child Care Facilities By Age, Danae Dinkel, John P. Rech, Yage Guo, Matthew R. Bice, Emily Hulse, Donnia Behrends, Christina Burger, Dipti Dev

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Go Nutrition and Physical activity Self Assessment in Child Care (NAP SACC) is an evidence based intervention developed to positively impact childhood obesity in early childhood education (ECE) facilities. One focus of Go NAP SACC is the development of physical activity best practices. However, little research has examined differences in achievement of best practices based on age of child and geographic location. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in the achievement of physical activity best practices between urban and rural childcare facilities by age-specific recommendations (infants, toddlers, and preschoolers) and in the overall physical activity environment. Urban …

Effects Of Human-Animal Interactions On Affect And Cognition, Elise L. Thayer, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Jeffrey Stevens Publications

Human-animal interaction has clear positive effects on people’s affect and stress. But less is known about how animal interactions influence cognition. We draw parallels between animal interactions and exposure to natural environments, a research area that shows clear improvements in cognitive performance. The aim of this study is to investigate whether interacting with animals similarly enhances cognitive performance, specifically executive functioning. To test this, we conducted two experiments in which we had participants self-report their affect and complete a series of cognitive tasks (long-term memory, attentional control, and working memory) before and after either a brief interaction with a dog …

Dog And Owner Characteristics Predict Training Success, Jeffrey R. Stevens, London M. Wolff, Megan Bosworth, Jill Morstad

Jeffrey Stevens Publications

Teaching owners how to train their dogs is an important part of maintaining the health and safety of dogs and people. Yet we do not know what behavioral characteristics of dogs and their owners are relevant to dog training or if owner cognitive abilities play a role in training success. The aim of this study is to determine which characteristics of both dogs and owners predict success in completing the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen training program. Before the first session of a dog training course, owners completed surveys evaluating the behavior and cognition of their dog and themselves. …

Attribute-Based Choice, Francine W. Goh, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Jeffrey Stevens Publications

Alternative-based approaches to decision making generate overall values for each option in a choice set by processing information within options before comparing options to arrive at a decision. By contrast, attribute-based approaches compare attributes (such as monetary cost and time delay to receipt of a reward) across options and use these attribute comparisons to make a decision. Because they compare attributes, they may not use all available information to make a choice, which categorizes many of them as heuristics. Choice data have suggested that attribute-based models can better predict choice compared to alternative-based models in some situations (e.g., when there …

Are Capuchin Monkeys (Sapajus Spp.) Sensitive To Lost Opportunities? The Role Of Opportunity Costs In Intertemporal Choice, Elsa Addessi, Valeria Tierno, Valentina Focaroli, Federica Rossi, Serena Gastaldi, Francesca De Petrillo, Fabio Paglieri, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Jeffrey Stevens Publications

Principles of economics predict that the costs associated with obtaining rewards can influence choice. When individuals face choices between a smaller, immediate option and a larger, later option, they often experience opportunity costs associated with waiting for delayed rewards because they must forego the opportunity to make other choices. We evaluated how reducing opportunity costs affects delay tolerance in capuchin monkeys. After choosing the larger option, in the High cost condition, subjects had to wait for the delay to expire, whereas in the Low cost different and Low cost same conditions, they could perform a new choice during the delay. …

Elevating Nebraska’S Early Childhood Workforce: Report And Recommendations Of The Nebraska Early Childhood Workforce Commission. April 2021 One-Year Update, Buffet Early Childhood Institute

Buffet Early Childhood Institute Reports and Publications

On Jan. 30, 2020, the Nebraska Early Childhood Workforce Commission released its report and recommendations, Elevating Nebraska’s Early Childhood Workforce. With a strong commitment to collaborative action, commission members vowed that the report would not just sit on the shelf—and they have been true to their word. Even the COVID-19 pandemic could not prevent commission members and the organizations they represent from engaging with partners in diverse communities across the state to pursue the report’s vision, goals, and recommendations.

In fact, the pandemic’s dramatic impact on the early childhood workforce and the children and families they serve has only served …

Using Photovoice To Understand And Amplify Youth Voices To Prevent Sexual And Relationship Violence, Victoria Banyard, Katie Edwards, Ramona Herrington, Skyler Hopfauf, Briana Simon, Linda Shroll

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Aims: Efforts to improve prevention of sexual and relationship violence (SRV) among adolescents call for more centering of youth voices, experiences, and skills to design prevention programs that incorporate youth engagement rather than those that are designed by adults for youth. Amplifying the voices of historically marginalized youth are especially needed. Photovoice (PV) is a participatory action method that can empower youth and generate prevention knowledge.

Methods: The current project used PV to engage youth in late middle and early high school to discuss how they could work to prevent SRV in their community. A convenience sample of nine youth …

“In My Letters, But I Was Still By Myself”: Highlighting The Experiences Of Queer Men Of Color In Culturally Based Fraternities, Crystal Garcia, Antonio Duran

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

This narrative inquiry study examined the ways Queer Men of Color in culturally based fraternities navigated issues of sexuality and gender expression in these organizations. Eight men from four different National Pan-Hellenic Council and Multicultural Greek Council fraternities shared their experiences through interviews and reflective journals. Using queer of color critique as a framework, findings showed how their sexuality substantially shaped their experiences in these culturally based organizations. In particular, participants communicated how their sexuality played a role in their motivations to join their fraternity. Additionally, once they became members, these eight Queer Men of Color explained how these organizations …

Temperamental Constellations And School Readiness: A Multivariate Approach, Andrew S. White, Kate M. Sirota, Scott R. Frohn, Sarah E. Swenson, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study uses canonical correlation analyses to explore the relationship between mul- tiple predictors of school readiness (i.e., academic readiness, social readiness, and teacher-child relationship) and multiple temperamental traits using data from the second wave (age 54 months, n = 1226) of the longitudinal Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD; NICHD ECCRN 1993). This longitudinal study collected data on a large cohort of children and their families from birth through age 15. For academic readiness, only one temperamental constellation emerged, representing the construct of effortful control (i.e., high attentional focusing, high inhibitory con- trol). For peer interactions, …

The Role Of Moral Reasoning And Attitudes Regarding Bisexuality In The Development Of Bisexual Counseling Competence, Christopher P. Monceaux, Melanie M. Wilcox, Dena M. Abbott

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Research on counselor competence regarding bisexuality is scarce, despite the greater prevalence of negative attitudes about bisexuality as compared to other sexual minorities (Flanders & Hatfield, 2014) both within the general public and the LGBTQ+ community (Matsick & Rubin, 2018). Therapist attitudes and moral development are 2 constructs known to affect multicultural counseling competence; however, although some research has examined competence in working with lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals all together, bisexual individuals specifically are underrepresented or absent in examinations of the relationship between these 2 constructs. Therefore, this study examined whether postconventional moral reasoning has an indirect relationship with …

Informal Caregivers’ Well-Being At The Transition To Caregiving, Natalie A. Williams, Holly Hatton-Bowers, Kara Kohel, Shruti Pillai, Judith M. Burnfield

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

The aim of this study was to describe the psychological and physical health needs of informal caregivers in a rehabilitation hospital and explore differences related to informal caregiver and care recipient characteristics. Readiness to engage in health promotion and perspectives on mindfulness meditation were assessed. Informal caregivers (N = 33) to patients receiving inpatient or outpatient treatment completed the Multidimensional Health Profile screening tools. Readiness to change was assessed using the readiness ruler approach. Almost half of participants (45.5%) had a chronic illness and 18.2% reported that it interferes with daily functioning. Low Positive Health Habits were reported by …

Skills-Based Intervention To Enhance Collaborative Decision-Making: Systematic Adaptation And Open Trial Protocol For Veterans With Psychosis, Emily B.H> Treichler, Borsika A. Rabin, William D. Spaulding, Michael L. Thomas, Michelle P. Salyers, Eric L. Granholm, Amy N. Cohen, Gregory A. Light

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Background: Collaborative decision-making is an innovative decision-making approach that assigns equal power and responsibility to patients and providers. Most veterans with serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia want a greater role in treatment decisions, but there are no interventions targeted for this population. A skills-based intervention is promising because it is well-aligned with the recovery model, uses similar mechanisms as other evidence-based interventions in this population, and generalizes across decisional contexts while empowering veterans to decide when to initiate collaborative decision-making. Collaborative Decision Skills Training (CDST) was developed in a civilian serious mental illness sample and may fill this gap …

Political Uncertainty Moderates Neural Evaluation Of Incongruent Policy Positions, Ingrid J. Haas, Melissa N. Baker, Frank J. Gonzalez

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Uncertainty has been shown to impact political evaluation, yet the exact mechanisms by which uncertainty affects the minds of citizens remain unclear. This experiment examines the neural underpinnings of uncertainty in political evaluation using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). During fMRI, participants completed an experimental task where they evaluated policy positions attributed to hypothetical political candidates. Policy positions were either congruent or incongruent with candidates’ political party affiliation and presented with varying levels of certainty.Neural activitywas modelled as a function of uncertainty and incongruence. Analyses suggest that neural activity in brain regions previously implicated in affective and evaluative processing (anterior …